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Entropy	By : ersatzbeta Category: Naruto > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1332 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I profit from writing this or any other fanfiction.

Chapter List
- 16
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Chapter Sixteen
Kakashi was preparing to go into town again, both for supplies and to share lunch with some of the other ninja to whom he had become close during the winter. As he dressed his feet, a knock came at the door. Sasuke, stationed in front of the cozily warm stove, made no move to get up.
Kakashi opened the door. He blinked. Neji stood before him. Kakashi blinked again.
"Sasuke," he said, over his shoulder. "I think it's for you."
"Pardon my intrusion, Hatake-sempai," said Neji. "If Sasuke is inconvenienced, I can come back at another time."
Neji adjusted the hem of his shirt, face carefully neutral. Kakashi felt a smile coming on.
"I'm on my way out, but Sasuke is never busy," said Kakashi. "Please, come on in."
Kakashi moved to the side, clearing the doorway.
"Thank you," said Neji.
He stepped into the house, toeing off his shoes. Sasuke crossed the living room and stood on the raised lip that separated the entryway from the rest of the house. He looked down at Neji for a minute. Kakashi could see him thinking.
"We're done planning the training grounds," said Sasuke.
Sasuke frowned, and Neji spared a brief glance at his hands before responding.
"I know," said Neji. "I thought you might enjoy some company regardless."
He waited, motionless, while Sasuke scrutinized him some more. Kakashi felt like smacking Sasuke in the back of the head. It was obvious to him that Neji was making an overture of friendship, but Sasuke just wasn't getting it.
"Invite him in," Kakashi said, sotto voice, from behind one hand.
Sasuke blinked. He stepped back from the edge of the floor.
"Would you like to come in?" said Sasuke. "There's fresh tea, if you like."
He managed to be, at the same time, stiffly formal and on the edge of rude in his offer. Then again, Kakashi couldn�t recall him ever doing anything like this before. It wasn't really in Sasuke's nature to make such gestures, and it showed.
"Thank you," Neji said. "Tea would be most appreciated on such a chill spring day."
He passed Kakashi, murmuring his thanks as he walked toward Sasuke and into the living room. Kakashi watched the pair for a minute before he made his exit. Interesting. He wondered what they would talk about while he was gone. Kakashi shook himself. He hadn't made it further than the edge of the yard, and he'd be late if he kept woolgathering. He headed into the forest.
Kakashi's lunch extended beyond lunchtime and took up most of the afternoon. Between his inquiries into what interest Gai's former student might have in his, war stories--metaphorically speaking, mostly--and an impromptu challenge from Gai, it took up more time than he'd planned for. Still, he'd had a good time, and Sasuke wasn't going to give him a hard time about it. He was conscious to keep a swift pace on the way back, but he hummed to himself the whole way.
When Kakashi came in the front door, roughly an hour before dinner, he confronted unfamiliar shoes still in the entryway. Neji was still there. He looked up, to Sasuke's usual place by the stove, and there they were, side by side and silent as the day is long. Kakashi cleared his throat and, in unison, they turned their heads. They share a look, one Kakashi can't read properly, and Neji stood. A formal thanks passed between Sasuke and Neji. At this distance, it would be child's play to eavesdrop, an insult to a ninja of Kakashi's caliber. So he didn't, though he knew that Sasuke wouldn't have said anything private or meaningful in a goodbye anyway. Neji crossed the room, stepped into the entryway, put on his footwear, and exchanged a greeting-slash-goodbye with Kakashi before leaving.
Kakashi was puzzling over this when Sasuke came over to him.
"So," said Kakashi. "You had a good time with Neji?"
Sasuke thought for a minute. He inclined his head.
"I suppose," he said.
"What did you two talk about?" said Kakashi.
Really, he was hard pressed to imagine the sorts of things they might have in common that would be neutral topics of conversation.
"Nothing," said Sasuke.
Kakashi raised an eyebrow.
"Nothing important? Or nothing-nothing?" he said.
"We didn't talk," said Sasuke.
"Ah," said Kakashi.
He worked the thought over.
"You two sat in the chairs and did not talk the whole time I was out?"
"We drank tea," said Sasuke.
He offered the information like it were vital to Kakashi's understanding of the situation, as if Kakashi would not be able to grasp the ramifications of Neji's social call without knowing it.
"Well then," said Kakashi.
He took the supplies into the kitchen as he formulated his next question.
"Are you going to do it again?" said Kakashi. "The drinking-tea-and-not-talking thing?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes.
"Of course," said Sasuke.
The implication that Kakashi has obviously not gotten the nuances of the interaction, was untrue, if not undeserved. Kakashi kept questioning because he could and because he liked getting a rise out of Sasuke.
"But if you didn't talk, then how do you know he'll come again?" said Kakashi.
"We didn't need to talk," said Sasuke. "Neji just�understands."
An odd look crossed Sasuke's face, troubled and strange and relieved and light all at once. Kakashi mulled it over. Too long, apparently. Sasuke proceeded to make a show of cleaning up the teacups and putting away the food and trash bags and toilet bowl cleaner.
"Sorry," said Kakashi.
He felt relieved when Sasuke rolled his eyes again.
"Whatever," said Sasuke.
He hesitated for a long minute, a sponge in one hand, examining at the kitchen counter for something to clean.
"You had a good time with your friends?" he said.
"Well," said Kakashi. "I wouldn't exactly call them friends, but yes. I'm going to go out more often, I think."
"Good," said Sasuke. "Having a little time to myself was�"
Sasuke shook his head.
"I know I'm not easy to live with," he said.
Kakashi was struck by this admission. Sasuke has given him the go-ahead, not that he needed approval from Sasuke to have a social life. He was also interested to see that, while Sasuke hadn't actually said it, he already considered Neji a friend.
"Right then," said Kakashi. "I'll go and see my people, and you'll keep up with yours."
Sasuke nodded, slowly, before he started on dinner.
They developed habits. Sasuke continued to meet with Neji, Kakashi with his circle of friends. Sometimes Kakashi stayed out the whole evening, and he didn't ask what Sasuke did when he wasn't home until dawn. He already knew what Sasuke thought he'd been doing. Mostly, Sasuke was wrong. They passed like ships in the night at times, but that was just part of the routine.
A/N: Okay. I realize that last paragraph doesn't quite fit with the rest of the chapter, but A. it contains a vital tidbit or two and B. it completely does not go with chapter seventeen. I hope you are all (at least) not frothing at the mouth about my choice of playmates for Sasuke. I know the reasoning probably isn't very clear, but I'm going to try to elucidate as the story progresses. As explanation at this point, I offer this: I think they fit together better than a person might expect.
This chapter was the last of the dread thirteens. For the time being, the major holes in the story are filled, and I can move forward with the original story material. I had a hard time integrating this chapter in, despite its being necessary in several ways. It's neither flesh nor fowl nor good red herring, if you'll pardon the expression. Probably not my best effort, but at least it gets the job done.
See you again for the weekend update!
- 16
- 17
- 18
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Entropy